Spicy Gingerbread Men is a traditional British recipe for a classic biscuit of a spiced gingerbread dough shaped and baked in the form of a man that's a Christmas favourite. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Spicy Gingerbread Men.
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These tasty biscuits (cookies) are a Christmas staple. You can even bake them with holes near the top of the heads so they can be hung with ribbon from your Christmas tree. The spice combination of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg is the classic Christmas combination. I’ve also added ½ tsp allspice (pimenton) to the original spice combination.
Ingredients:
315g (21/4 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
100g (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
50g (1/4 cup firmly packed) dark brown sugar
1 egg
120ml (1/2 cup) treacle (dark molasses)
Method:
Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg into a mixing bowl then lightly whisk to ensure they are well combined and set aside.
Cream together the butter or margarine with the brown sugar until light and creamy. Beat in the egg until thoroughly combined. Then beat in the molasses until blended. Add the flour in two equal additions, beating to thoroughly combine after each addition.
Using lightly floured hands, gather the sticky dough into a ball. Divide the ball in half and flatten each portion into a 15 to 20cm (6- to 8-inch) disk. Wrap each disk in clingfilm (plastic wrap) and chill for 2 hours, or until firm.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and, if needed, soften slightly for easier handling. Roll it out 3mm (1/8 inch) thick on a lightly floured board, between 2 sheets of parchment paper or heavy-duty clingfilm (plastic wrap) with a cloth-covered rolling pin.
Lightly dip a 14cm (51/2-inch) gingerbread man (or other Christmas-themed) biscuit (cookie) cutter in flour, then firmly press it straight down into the dough. Repeat, cutting the biscuits close together to avoid re-rolling. Using a spatula, carefully transfer the biscuits to a baking tray lined with parchment or greaseproof (waxed) paper. If a biscuit is to be used as an ornament, press a hole through the top with a drinking straw or large skewer.
Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180ºC (350ºF) and bake until the biscuits are lightly browned (about 9 to 11 minutes). Allow the biscuits to firm and cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. If desired, decorate the with icing and decorative sweets (candies).
